


Sailing the Rainbow Seas

by cakessan



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Crack, M/M, Pirate AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-11
Updated: 2013-05-11
Packaged: 2017-12-08 04:09:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/756876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cakessan/pseuds/cakessan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a stowaway on the 'Rainbow Runner', and the captain decides to give him an opportunity to feel them before feeding him to the sharks...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The moral of this story is - don’t let me near ideas ever because they consume me and take over my whole life and I have this problem that once you give me an idea I can’t just let it be and I have to do something and it’s basically just really terrible. 
> 
> Note: this is crack. I am staying (mostly) true to character because I find that that’s the joy of fanfiction, but I’m unleashing hell and I’m not sorry.

Murasakibara cast a last baleful glance at the empty trunk that – until now – had housed his private reserve of treats. It hadn’t even been a week since leaving port. He sighed and got up, stooping awkwardly to fit through the cabin door. He ignored the nighttime noises as he passed various rooms and made straight for the cargo deck. If Aka-chin hadn’t realized that he’d smuggled two cases of chocolate and Turkish delight in one of the crates, there was still hope for a midnight snack. But when he pulled back the tarp to rummage around, he was met with an empty crate. Well. It wasn’t exactly  _empty_. There was a rather large person sleeping inside it. But for Atsushi, it might as well have been empty.

 

*

“Oi! Wake up!”

Aomine angrily tapped the crate with his sword again.

“He looks a little dehydrated.” Kise piped up from the first mate’s shoulder.

“Then let’s  _hydrate_  him.” Daiki drawled with a smirk before promptly dumping the half-finished bottle of whiskey on the stowaway.

Hydration was arguable. Consciousness, not so much. The red-haired ragamuffin sat up spluttering and swearing.

“Akashi wants to see him.” A green-haired man appeared in the doorway. Aomine and Kise turned to him in unison, ignoring the struggling figure.

“Can’t we have a little fun with him first?” Daiki pouted, placing a suggestive hand on the hilt of a dagger.

Midorima gave him an even look. “Akashi wants to see him  _now_.” The bells on his brilliant emerald robe clinked as he turned around and swished dramatically away.

“I don’t understand how he sleeps in that.” Aomine grimaced, absently grabbing their prisoner by the head and dragging him up. “You’re lucky. He usually just throws the likes off you off the deck.”

There were some unintelligible noised from the tall redhead as he was headlocked and dragged out of the cargo room. Kise followed. “I don’t think he sleeps in  _anything_.” The blonde tugged at a thin coin at the end of a stray dreadlock, smiling wickedly. “Midorimacchi enjoys his after-hours entertainment.”

Aomine glanced back over his shoulder and they shared an evil look. Two decks up – Atsushi waited in front of a set of grandiose double doors. He munched on a cookie and looked up as the threesome approached.

“Do I have to toss him overboard?” He asked hopefully.

“Not yet. Captain wants a look at his face.” Aomine released the stowaway, who slumped, but was caught by the purple-haired giant. Kise opened the doors with a sweeping motion, bowing to the figure perched on the shadowy dais next to the table.

“Captain.” There was something mildly mocking in the helmsman’s tone as he stood back to let his shipmates into the opulent cabin. Gold and silver artifacts lay scattered around the room in heaps, the occasional colorful twinkle of jewels here and there. Winged armchairs and poufs lay absently strewn around the room. There was even a pile of mismatched pillows in a corner.  The slight figure sitting on the throne-like chair absently threw the crown that he had been playing with on top of a small mountain of red-gold coins; the sound of them slithering off each other continued long after the  _ping_ of metal faded away.

“Why does he smell like whiskey?” Akashi asked, throwing his first mate a pointed, long-suffering look.

The dark man made to pull his hat down only to realize that he wasn’t wearing it and ended up awkwardly staring at his hand instead.

“Morons. All of you.” The captain rolled his mismatched eyes and stood up. Atsushi was still more or less carrying the unexpected passenger, and at Seijuro’s signal, the bosun unceremoniously dumped him before resuming his snack.

“Do you know what ship you’re on?” Akashi demanded, clasping his hands neatly behind his back. White lace peeked out from the edges of his blood-red velvet overcoat, which was matched by the feathers in his enormous hat. Tight black pants were stuffed into  _very_  shiny boots that were  _just_  out of reach of the man on the floor.

“Does it look like I care?” The red-haired man on the floor spat, dragging himself up and glowering up Akashi.

The captain raised an eyebrow and took a step forward, his eyes narrowing. “You should care. And you should  _take_  care when you’re addressing the captain who holds your life in the balance, you pathetic creature.” He unsheathed his rapier with lightning speed and held it under his prisoner’s throat, forcing him to look up. “What’s your name?”

The man swallowed. “K-Kagami.”

“What’s your name?” Akashi repeated, his voice dripping with dangerous sweetness. His crew watched breathlessly as the tip of his rapier drew a thin line of blood.

“Kagami Taiga.”

“How pretty.” Seijuro smiled mockingly as the other three men chuckled behind him. “Well, Taiga. Shall we toss you overboard? Or maybe should we cut your belly open and see how long you last? Five hundred lashes also seems reasonable…” He leaned down slowly, his ice-cold smile never reaching those beautiful eyes of his. Kagami held the gaze, grimacing. The two men – one ragged and feral, the other immaculate and polished – stared at one another for so long that Kise started to fidget and Atsushi began wondering if he could slip out and get more biscuits without anyone noticing. Aomine might have fallen asleep – it was always hard to tell if the swaying came from the whiskey or not.

Finally, Akashi stepped back. “Gentlemen – welcome your new cook – Kagami Taiga.”

There was spluttering. “But, Aka-chin, I’m the cook!”

“No, Atsushi. You’re the bosun. You pretend to cook for us so you can eat the supplies.” The captain sighed scathingly as he sheathed his rapier. “I’m tired of having to pull into port once a week because we run out of food. And this… person can’t possibly be a worst cook than the other four of you. And he’s stupid enough to stow away on the  _Rainbow Runner_ , so he clearly doesn’t have anywhere better to be.” He ran a hand across his forehead. “Just… get him out of here. All of you – out. Tetsuya.”

From  _somewhere_  the summoned figure appeared. “Yes, Akashi-kun.”

“Find Taiga, somewhere to sleep. And find him some clothes after he bathes. And send Shintarou.” 

The pale man bowed and waited expectantly for the bewildered addition to the crew to stand up and lurch over to the door.

“Welcome to the  _Rainbow Runner_ , Taiga.” Akashi murmured with a satisfied smile as the doors closed. He sprawled himself across his chair and began to unbutton his shirt. “We’ll take good care of you.”


	2. Chapter 2

Kise yawned as he raised a machete and sliced through the ropes on one side of the hammock containing the sleeping Kagami Taiga. “Good morning, Kagamiicchi,” he chirped cheerily through the yelp and cursing that ensued as Kagami untangle himself. “Did you sleep well?”

The newest member of the crew growled in response as he pulled on a pair of boots that he’d been given by Kuroko the night before.

Ryouta gave him an appreciative once-over, his golden eyes widening slightly. “Aominecchi’s pants fit you.” Looking mildly impressed, the helmsman reached out and tugged at the cropped leather vest with a smirk. “This is a good look for you.”

“Did they send you here to tell me I’m pretty?” Taiga gave him a bored stare as he rubbed an arm restlessly. Kise’s smile became a little less predatory and a little more satisfied smirk.  He slipped the machete back into his belt and stepped back.

“Come on. I’ll show you around.”

Taiga followed in sulky silence as the blonde man led him through various corridors, occasionally pointing out rooms.

“That’s where Midorimacchi – Midorima Shintarou – does the navigating. Don’t go in there between three and four because that’s when he makes scarifies so that he isn’t haunted by sharks… or something. Actually, just… stay out of there. He spent a week locked up in his room the last time Murasakibaracchi broke some statue and we ended up in Magenta Bay because Aominecchi had to navigate. Akashiicchi… wasn’t happy. That’s the boiler room, and then there are some… other rooms. Oh, and down there are the sleeping quarters. It’s _very_ nice.”

Kagami glared at him. “You don’t need to rub it in. I get it. I’m a prisoner or whatever.”

Kise’s look of enigmatic amusement worried him. “Of course. I’m sorry. You already know where the captain’s cabin is, and the bathroom. Down here is the galley.”

Kagami paused in the doorway staring around the room. There were portholes on one wall, and the spotless room didn’t look like a galley kitchen. It was some seriously swanky shit. There were sinks and surfaces and a gas stove.

“Are you sure this is a ship?” Taiga ran a hand over a marble worktop, looking around in awe.

Kise’s warm laugh filled the kitchen as he perched himself on a corner. “Akashiicchi doesn’t like the realities of being on a ship. So he ignores them.”

“Gold bathtubs and marble kitchens?”

“Among other things.” Ryouta leaned back. “So… are you going to make some breakfast? You know, because that’s your job. As cook.”

The redhead made a face but headed to the storeroom anyways. “Fucking pirates,” he muttered.

 

*

 

“THIS IS AMAZING!!”

Kagami covered his ears. The orgasmic squeals that his cheese omelet had induced were scaring him. He dared uncover them when Kise’s mouth was full again.

“Wewdichuleernchocoo?”

Taiga was actually getting a little concerned about the possibility of the blonde choking and dying. He was _inhaling_ the food.

“When was the last time you ate?”

Kise swallowed and tapped the fork against his lips. “I think I had a biscuit last night.”

“But there’s a storeroom full of… food?” Kagami tried to make sense of the situation. “Why did you just… eat something?”

“Because we’re all sick of Kurokocchi’s boiled eggs and none of us can cook. Well, that’s not true. Atsushi is a _great_ cook. But he eats everything he makes and doesn’t leave any for us and he eats _all the time_ , so we’re stuck with… biscuits.” Kise pouted, and Kagami actually felt a little bad for these morons. Apparently with standards like these, he didn’t even have to waste too much effort. And with a five-man crew – no six, there was the little blue shrimp that had ghosted around while he’d cleaned up and then tucked him into bed – this might not even be much work. He was about to ask how the ship ran with so few men, and then decided that he didn’t really care. Or want to know. That Akashi person had probably sold his soul to Satan or something.

When Kagami looked up again, Kise was inches way from his face, smirking and biting on his fork. “That was very nice. Thank you, Kagamiicchi.” Taiga froze when a cold, slender hand pushed back his hair as Kise held his horrified stare. “Maybe I’ll come and wake you up more often.” The hand trailed down his cheek and Kagami shivered involuntarily, closing his eyes as he felt Kise’s warm breath pass through the tines of the fork and brush against his lips. Taiga was more than a little disconcerted with how fast his heart was starting to beat when a quiet bell rang somewhere. Ryouta immediately looked up and hopped off the counter, leaving a very scandalized, very red Kagami standing in front of an empty plate.

“Finally.” Kise muttered. “My watch is over, and you have a lot of breakfast to make, so I’ll leave you to it. Don’t try to poison the food!” He called cheerfully and disappeared into the gloom of the corridor. Kagami didn’t hear him. He was busy wondering if Kise grabbing his ass on the way out had been an accident or not.

All things considered, probably not.

 

*

 

Kagami saved a plate for the cabin boy. The rest of the motley crew wandered in of their own accord. The delicately herbed scrambled eggs and toasted bread with butter seemed to placate his captors. Atsushi would have probably eaten the whole array if Aomine hasn’t come grouching in and literally dragged him away, the two of them squabbling over half a crepe. Midorima had swept in wearing the most _ridiculous_ hat (it looks like a peacock had molted on the navigator’s head) and carefully arranged two plates – one probably for Akashi from how long he spent making it look good – and clearly trying not to appear desperate to hoard as much of the toast as he could. By the time Aomine had been down for thirds, Atsushi for sixths and even Akashi had made an appearance to see if there were any leftovers, Kagami decided that he should probably make sure that Kuroko also had something to eat.

Just as he was starting to wonder if the blue-haired man was ever going to appear, he was shocked to see him sitting at across from him, quietly eating.

“How long have you been there?!”

Kuroko swallowed and blinked. “Since you finished washing up.”

Taiga made a strangled noise, but didn’t discuss it further. “How come you’re so late?”

“I finished cleaning up the bedrooms. It isn’t often that they’re all up so early.”

Kagami squinted out of the window. “What, by noon?”

The cabin boy gave him a steady, amused look before finishing his breakfast.

“Thank you for breakfast Kagami-kun. Please let me know if I can help you with… _anything_.” Kuroko’s little smile sent a shiver down Kagami’s spine. “Akashi-kun wants you to feel comfortable while you stay with us.”

“I thought this was a scary pirate ship not some luxury cruise around the harbor,” the cook snorted, pulling out a slab of bacon for the Cordon Bleu he had planned for lunch – or dinner? How many meals was he supposed to cook anyways? Oh God, was Akashi going to make him cook himself to death? Was he going to get breaks?! When he looked around for the pale man, he realized that he was alone. Kagami wondered if Akashi had gotten a little blue ghost in the bargain for that soul of his.

 

*

 

With everything cooking (pumpkin soup, Cordon Bleu, and an apple pie) Kagami decided that he needed a break. As a thief, slinking around was practically secondary to breathing – getting around wasn’t the problem. The problem was that he wasn’t familiar with the ship and that after getting to the upper level he walked in on Murasakibara with his pants around his ankles. In a broom closet. There were probably more… convenient places (the gold-gilded bathroom or possibly the bosun’s own cabin came to mind) to have… alone time, so the mystery continued to eat away at Taiga even after he was done blushing under Murasakibara’s amused gaze and found an excuse to get away that didn’t involve food (that would mean having the giant _follow_ him). He retreated to the safety of the galley and locked the door until dinnertime.

Unfortunately, the scandalous discoveries didn’t end there.

After a few days, Kagami trudged to his hammock in the hold after cleaning up and leaving a snack out (at Akashi’s request) for whosoever would get to it first (Kagami secretly put his money on Kuroko). He was rather unpleasantly surprised to realize that it was occupied. One of the occupants was Aomine – the back of the dark blue hair and the growl of, “Fuck me” was all Kagami needed to turn on his heel and head to the deck to sleep on a stack of ropes.

It wasn’t until he found Midorima – peacock hat askew, bite marks on his collarbone – walking out of Kise’s room one morning on his way back from the bathroom a week and a half later that his curiosity really got the better of him. He found Kuroko in the crow’s nest and climbed up.

“What the _fuck_ is up with this ship?”

Tetsuya looked at him in bewilderment. “Is there something wrong with the ship, Kagami-kun?”

Taiga got the impression that the little shit knew _exactly_ what he was _really_ asking about but was going to fish for explicitness for the sake of his own entertainment.

Kagami began to blush despite himself. “Are you all… together?”

“We’re a crew, if that’s what you’re asking.”

His blush deepened. “Which one’s sleeping with who?”, he blurted out, fidgeting as he stared at the horizon. Curiosity killed the cat – or in this case any semblance of sanity that remained since he’d hopped on this stupid ship.

Kuroko’s deeply satisfied smile went unnoticed. “There are no official arrangements, Kagami-kun. But right now, I should think that Aomine-kun is paying a visit to our captain – his bell rang earlier. Twice. Akashi-kun doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” He looked thoughtful. “The others are all working. We have a schedule to keep. ”

Taiga blinked. “So… Does any actual piracy happen?” There was plenty of plundering happening that was for sure…

Kuroko looked at him like he was a moron. “Kagami-kun, the _Rainbow Runner_ is the most wanted ship in the world. The price for any of its crew – alive – is worth enough to buy small nations. We’re wealthier than every king you can name. It is very hard work.”

“So far all I’ve seen is six guys milling about aimlessly on an absurdly large ship.”

Kuroko cast him a pitying glance. “You should really try to relax a little, Kagami-kun.”

The cook glowered at him. “You try keeping that endless pit fed.” Atsushi ate like it was the end of the earth. He was beginning to understand the stupidly large amount of food stored.

But Kuroko was ignoring him, focused on checking his compass and peering through his spyglass. Taiga growled in frustration and left him to his work. Muttering curses, he didn’t notice Midorima fussing over his hat and bowled over the green-haired man.

“For the love of God! Watch where you’re going.” Midorima snarled, springing up and immediately checking on the jade frog hanging around his neck.

Kagami stared at him for a moment. “Sorry.”

They awkwardly faced one another, Midorima glowering, Kagami wondering where that hat had come from.

“Akashi seems satisfied with you,” Shintarou said finally with an annoyed sniff.

Taiga looked a little pleased before frowning. “Who _is_ he? Akashi. He doesn’t seem the pirate type.”

Midorima raised an eyebrow and crossed his long arms. “He was the heir to a very sizable fortune and a title. But Akashi decided that he wanted a different kind of title – and a much bigger fortune. So he had the _Rainbow Runner_ made and hired a temporary crew.”

“So you’re all hired?” Kagami joined him, hopping up on a barrel of gunpowder.

“No. We’re here because Akashi asked us to be. He found us. Aomine was a captain in the Royal Armada. Kise boarded us from a rowboat – alone – and impressed Akashi. Murasakibara was an exceptional mercenary. We rescued Kuroko and… got attached to him.”

“And you?”

Midorima was quiet for a moment before responding. “I grew up with Akashi. He asked me to come.”

“Private invitation. How adorable.” Taiga smirked at the glare he received. “So why are you all here? Money? Fame?”

The green-haired man stared at him blankky for a minute before pushing off. “You’ll have to figure that out on your own. If you’re here long enough.”

 

*

 

Aomine stumbled out of Midorima’s room, silk sheet trailing until it was yanked back, grinning manically and wincing now and again as he wandered down the passage. He was holding up his pants with one hand, unbothered when they slipped down a little too low as he peered around corners and pushed open doors. The first mate was on a mission – and not an easy one.

“Can I pass?”

Aomine froze for an instant before realizing the voice belonged to the newcomer. As he slowly turned around, a wide lazy smirk graced his mouth.

“Kagami.” He practically purred as he shut the door behind him. The cook was holding his toothbrush and staring. Aomine’s pants were mostly forgotten and were more or less there for decorative purposes at this point. There were traces of dried come on his beautiful dark abs and he looked utterly… debauched. Kagami felt mildly intoxicated by the moment and had to look away to force his stomach from dropping any lower. Parts of him were… tingling. And he was having trouble breathing.

“I need a favour newbie.”

“I’m not talking to you until you pull your pants up.”

Aomine chuckled darkly but complied by hitching them up in his hips and closing them. “Happy now?”

Kagami wasn’t sure what he was, but he raised his eyes warily. “What do you want?”

“Have you ever played hide and seek?”

“Oh, God – if this is some se-“

“Aominechii!” Kise appeared at Aomine’s back, and draped himself over the first mate. “Is he bothering you, Kagamiicchi?” He smiled mischievously. “I’m sure we can find a suitable punishment.”

Daiki rolled his eyes but didn’t move to shove Kise off. “Just recruiting him.”

As two pair of sparking eyes studied him Kagami felt like he’d just been thrown into a cage with a leopard and a panther and there was _nowhere to run_.

“Hmmmm. I think -” Kise stepped forward and wiped at a dribble from the corner of Aomine’s mouth with his thumb. He slowly and shamelessly licked it off with a smirk. “- that your games might be a bit much for our poor little tiger.”

“He isn’t my first choice anyways.” The darker man absently ran a hand through his hair, mussing it further. Kagami swallowed hard. Daiki smirked one last time before heading back down the passageway. “If you bump into Tetsu, let him know there’s a mess that needs to be cleaned up.”

“I saw him going into Midorimacchi’s room on my way here. If you don’t hurry – there might not be a mess left.” Kise called out.

The sound of Aomine’s quickening footsteps made Kise chuckle before he turned his attention to Taiga. “You look a little faint, Kagamiichi. Do you need to lie down?”

Kagami felt a hand slide to the small of his back as Kise’s breath tickled his ear. The blonde smelt _very_ nice.

“I-I’m fine.” He managed through clenched teeth even as warm lips found the soft spot under his ear and he bit back a hiss. Kise’s smile curved against his neck.

“Are you sure?” His hand slid down to rest on Taiga’s waist. For a long moment, they stood together, Ryouta close enough for Kagami to feel his lips brushing against his earlobe now and again when they breathed in unison, the warm expanse of his chest pressed against his back, one hand resting against the edge of his pants, the other slowly twining itself around Kagami’s fingers.

This wasn’t unpleasant. In fact this was tantalizingly arousing and Taiga decided that he couldn’t really lie to himself about how much he enjoyed the attention that the helmsman has been showering him with. He slowly tipped his head back, and met the expectant golden eyes waiting for him, whatever reservations he’d had melted away. Life was too short to waste and Kise was too gorgeous an opportunity to miss. What surprised him was the unexpectedly gentle kiss waiting for him. “Don’t worry, Taiga. I’ll take _good_ care of you.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, back in Port Melee, the Royal Armada deals with the theft of the "Captain's Pride"...

“How hard do I have to fuck you to get you _shut up_?” Kasamatsu half-snarled breathlessly into Imayoshi’s neck. The whimpered groan Shoichi offered by way of reply made Yukio chuckled darkly. This was a rare and beautiful moment indeed.  He pressed a messy kiss to Imayoshi’s back just as the door to the broom cupboard they were desecrating flew open.

“You morons have four minutes and twelve seconds to wrap this up.” Nijimura watched unfazed as they flew apart, scrambling to create some semblance of decency and failing abjectly. “We’re not waiting for you again.” With that, he walked away calmly, hands behind his back, leaving the door wide open.

Kasamatsu managed to use one of the cleaning hooks to get the door shut before erupting into curses. Imayoshi looked mildly impressed as he leaned against the wall, catching his breath.

“When you run out, I have a few I save for special occasions I can lend you.” Shoichi offered when Yukio paused to close the last button of his once-spotless military jacket.

Kasamatsu snarled, glaring at him. “I like you better when you’re quiet.”

Imayoshi’s feline smile appeared. He decided not to say anything about the fact that Yukio probably enjoyed other aspects of his speechlessness. Like being balls deep in his ass.

*

“Gentlemen, were you not responsible for guarding the _Captain’s Pride_?”

Hyuuga and Kiyoshi avoided looking at one another. Hyuuga was wondering how he could murder Kiyoshi if they survived the next three minutes. Teppei was busy deciding what shade the walls were.

Admiral Riko Aida sat on her desk, dressed in riding gear and gently smacked her whip on her palm. “You had _one job_. _One_. But clearly, it was too much work for you, since the ship was commandeered by _one man_ and magically disappeared under the nose of the pursuit fleet. “ She jumped off and slammed her whip on the desk, making the men wince. “I should have given the job to Takao. Or Sakurai.”

“We did what we could.” Hyuuga muttered sulkily.

“Well, clearly, it wasn’t good enough.” Riko replied sweetly, now circling them. “I think that putting Imayoshi to captain the arrest is enough punishment.” The glee in her voice was terrifying. “But I really don’t want to mess this up again, so maybe I’ll just send them all-“

A knock at the door interrupted her. “Yes, yes – come in.”

Nijimura, Ootsubo, Imayoshi and Kasamatsu trailed in. As they registered Aida’s smile each of them attempted to stand as far away from the Admiral as possible.

“You’re right on time. The search-and-arrest mission leaved in two hours. Your crew is already boarding. These two idiots will be joining you.” She waved a hand at Junpei and Kiyoshi.

The four captains looked uneasily at one another. “Which one of us going, m’am?” Imayoshi asked politely.

“I didn’t know you were deaf, Captain,” she sniffed. “All of you. Since this… whoever he is seems to be able to do extraordinary things, I need all of my most extraordinary officers there to make sure that he _doesn’t do them again_. Don’t come home until you find him. And the _Captain’s Pride_.” Riko’s giggle might as well have been a death sentence of sorts.

*

“Captain!”

Four heads turned. Sakurai had been addressing Imayoshi but he immediately shrank back when he realized that he was facing four annoyed superiors.

“IM SORRY!” he squeaked and bowed low.

“Do you _have_ to bring the apologetic mushroom?” Kasamatsu sighed, crossing his arms. “He annoys me.”

“Not everything I do is to please you.” Imayoshi snapped. It had been ten minutes since they had boarded the ship – ten minutes of frustration and disagreements and drawn swords. Clearly, this sharing thing wasn’t going to work out smoothly.

“What is it, Sakurai?”

Huge, tear-filled brown eyes lifted. “We-we just found some information on the thieves who commandeered the _Captain’s Pride_ , sir.”

Shoichi’s eyes widened behind his glasses. “Oh?”

“I’m sorry, sir! I should have reported it earlier, I’m sorry!”

Taisuke rolled his eyes. “Can we have some more information, please?”

Kiyoshi materialized at the bottom of the stairs. “We decided to bring him aboard, Captain…s.” He smiled cheerily. “Haikazi Shougo. We thought you might want to talk to him.”

Takao and Moriyama roughly hauled the prisoner into the stateroom. He was dressed unexpectedly well for a wanted criminal, with a rakish, plumed hat covering his sun-bleached cornrows.

Haizaki looked amused at being seated in one of the plush blue armchairs and tied up.

“Is it almost teatime?” he drawled, raking lazy eyes across the faces looking down at him.

“You wouldn’t know teatime if it hit you in the fucking face,” Nijimura snarled, whacking Shougo’s knees with the side of his sheathed sword. “Make yourself useful, you thug.”

Haizaki finished wincing and plastered a look of mocking hurt on his tanned face. “What’s in it for me?”

“You get to live a little longer.” Kasamatsu’s patience ran out and he grabbed the front of Haizaki’s shirt. “So start talking.”

Imayoshi pried Yukio off , giving Haizaki his most cat-like smile. “Gentlemen, please. You’re not giving our _guest_ a lot of incentive to be helpful to our cause. Cut him loose.” Shoichi ignored the spluttered protests and signaled to Takao who glanced briefly for approval from his own captain. Ootsubo rolled his eyes and nodded.

“So, what would you like as compensation?” Imayoshi’s smile widened as he carefully poured a cup of tea.

“That’s more like it.” Shougo smirked smugly, ignoring Nijimura’s snarl. “A life-time pardon and a position on a ship sounds pretty good.”

“Those are some big demands, Haikazi. Lets see if your information is worth it. Milk and sugar?”

“Yeah. Both.” The rest of the room fumed as Haikazi took the delicate porcelain teacup handed to him. His sneer widened as he took a sip. “You nobs do alright.” He drained the tea and set down the teacup by loudly crashing it against the table. “Yeah, I know who took your ship. Two-man crew that will steal anything for the right price. I didn’t know they did ships though.”

“How do you know it was them?” Ootsubo eyed him warily.

Haizaki looked annoyed. “Because I saw them. Well – one of them. Kagami Taiga. He jumped the ship outside Emerald Quay and swam to the nearest ship. Stowed away.”

“Where were you while all of this was happening?” Nijimura was staring at his broken teacup and trembling very slightly.

“On a fishing boat. In the quay. I –ugh – had pressing business elsewhere and was… getting there in a hurry.”

It roughly translated into: I was involved in criminal activity and was about to get caught. Kasamatsu twitched.

“You said that it’s a two-man crew – who’s the other?” Imayoshi resumed his interrogation flashing his co-captains death glares.

“Himuro Tatsuya. There’s a rumor that they’ve been privately recruited by some thief-queen somewhere but there’s no evidence.” He yawned. “I didn’t see him though. He probably took care of the ship. But alone, he wouldn’t have gotten far.”

Yukio was already at the map on the table by the windows. “Moriyama chart a course for the Bright Isles an-“

“No.” Taisuke cut him off. “He wouldn’t have risked picking up a crew, so the fleet there can pick him up.”

“Who put you in charge?” Kasamatsu put a threatening hand on his sword.

Shuzou stepped between them. “Ootsubo’s right. Send a dispatch. Did you catch the name of the boat that this Kagami fellow boarded?”

Shougo laughed loudly. It was grating; it chilled the room. “The _Rainbow Runner_.”

A collective groan went around the stateroom.

“Of all the fucking ships-“

“Why? Why did it have to be-“

“We’re all getting demoted and shipped to the colonies-“

“I should have told my mother I love her-“

Imayoshi slumped into the chair behind the desk and took his glasses off. His head was beginning to hurt just thinking about the efforts that would be expended in _finding_ the ship. No one had ever gotten close enough to fire shots, much less board it. Wonderful.

“I can find it.”

The room when silent as all eyes turned to the pisoner. Haizaki was studying his nails, looking bored. “I can find the _Rainbow Runner_.” He lifted his eyes to meet a tidal wave of disbelief. “I used to be part of the crew before I was… replaced. The thing about the _Runner_ is that it always follows the same routes. I need to see the merchant logs.” He cracked his jaw lazily. “And fleet plans.”

Nijimura had a dagger to his throat in a heartbeat, his forehead pressed against Haizaki’s tanned one. “If you’re lying, you pathetic excuse for a worm, I will _personally_ make your death a long and painful one.”

“Would I lie to you, Captain?” Shougo whispered back. His breath smelt unexpectedly of cinnamon. Nijimura pulled away with a flustered snarl.

Haizaki chuckled darkly. “You can make me walk the plank or whatever you sea monkeys want – but I guarantee you the _Rainbow Runner_ by the end of the week.”

The four captains exchanged a glance and huddled together around Imayoshi’s chair.

“It’s not like we have anything to lose.” Taisuke sighed.

“If we hand him those merchant logs…” Yukio crossed his arms across his chest defiantly. “I don’t trust him.”

“I don’t either – but unless you’re going to pull a better idea out of your ass, then it doesn’t hurt wasting a week and three weeks worth of merchant logs on this asshole.” Shuuzo slammed his dagger back into its sheath.

Imayoshi eyed them carefully. “This might be the fastest way of getting rid of this stupid joint captaincy, and I for one want my ship back as quickly as possible. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. He’ll be going to jail as soon as we touch land anyways.” He peeked around Kasamatsu’s butt – a feat of extraordinary willpower - and motioned to Moriyama and Sakurai. “Find him a cabin, keep him under watch at all time, get him the logs and tell Izuki what’s going on. The rest of you – to your posts! We have a ship to catch.”

 

 

 


	4. Intermission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy AoKuro day! 
> 
> It turns out that my first piece of smut would be kinky pirate bondage sex, wouldn't it?

Kuroko’s belt dropped to the floor with a clatter. A strangled little moan came from the bed. Tetsuya allowed himself a satisfied little smirk. Daiki’s noises usually gave him _great_ satisfaction. But today they were all uncharacteristically filled with just a _tinge_ of desperation. They were… a little distracting.

He ran a finger along the flat of his dagger blade. “I don’t think you’re in a position to ask for favors, Aomine-kun.”

There was a groan behind him.

“Tetsu…”

“Maybe you need a reminder of how we do things.” His voice was soft as he slowly turned around to admire his handiwork so far.

Kuroko had always liked Aomine’s bed. It was large and not too soft and had a beautiful carved headboard that they had gotten from the cargo hold of a travelling dignitary. It had two entwined dragons in relief, weaving in and out of the dark wood, ending with their gaping, fanged mouths about to meet as they tried to devour one another.

The dragons’ jaws never closed to snap on the rough ropes that tied Aomine’s tanned, sculpted arm above his head. Kuroko had been careful to wind the ropes _just_ tight enough to leave Daiki a souvenir. Aomine had already tugged at them _hard_ and Tetsuya could barely contain his glee at seeing them taut now as his temporary prisoner attempted to contain a whimper.

Kuroko couldn’t see his face; a dark blue, while-plumed, wide-brimmed hat that Kise had happily lent him covered it. (The helmsman had only two rules about borrowing from his wardrobe – bring it back clean and deal in details. Kuroko found these very reasonable.)

But Kuroko had the rest of Aomine’s body to console himself with. An expanse of beautiful bronzed skin that rippled over the hard lines of his muscles with each shuddering breath. His legs were drawn up just enough for Kuroko to frown. No matter – he would remedy that shortly.

A delicate drop of sweat ran down his strained neck as Aomine raised his head. His dark eyes were filled with hungry desperation. “Are you going to make me beg for it?” He managed a smirk as he moved to draw his legs closer to his chest. Kuroko had to wait exactly one second before Daiki gave up with an angry wince. His bright blue eyes lit up with dark anticipation as he slowly cut off the buttons of his loose shirt with the tip of his dagger, watching Aomine’s mounting frustration with quiet satisfaction.

“Aomine-kun,” he whispered seriously, “please don’t ask stupid questions.”

His shirt floated behind him as he effortlessly jumped onto the solid gold trunk at the end of the bed. He stood over Aomine, his face cold as he threw the small dagger. It flew like an arrow and stuck fast into the headboard an inch from Aomine’s cheek. Kuroko stepped onto the mattress, making it sink a little, as he pulled out another from the top of his boot. “I think you _do_ need a reminder.”

Aomine’s look of relief was momentary. Kuroko ignored the dried come on Daiki’s lap and his impressive erection as he roughly straddled the bound man.

“What are we, Aomine-kun?” Tetsuya sucked his earlobe gently as he slid the blade to the curve of Aomine’s throat.

Kuroko was _very_ good with his daggers – and for good reason. They were poisoned. Each of the seven little knives that Kuroko always had tucked away on his person was dipped in a different concoction of his own making. All of them were very, very deadly. The fact that the one he was using now wasn’t a prop made this so _exciting_.

He bit his lower lip as he gently prodded the underside of Aomine’s chin.

“I’m waiting.” For a little extra incentive, Tetsuya leaned back and slowly pushed on Aomine’s swollen cock.

There was half-sob of a growl followed by a jerk of the bed as Daiki yanked at his bindings.

“P-pi-pirates.” Aomine breathed into Kuroko’s half-open, mocking mouth as he hovered over Daiki’s lips.

“Very _good_ ,” Tetsuya purred dragging the blunt edge of the dagger to Aomine’s heart. It left an angry red line. He flipped the blade to the sharp in a blink. “And what is it that pirates _don’t_ do, Aomine-kun?”

But Kuroko wasn’t waiting for an answer. The answering moan broke his patience and he lifted himself into the kiss of utter desperation that waited for him. Even without his hands, Aomine managed to destroy his pacing with the sheer force of his pent-up frustration. Knowing that he was wanted _this_ much was more arousing than Kuroko has anticipated. He pulled away slowly, ignoring the line of spit that linked them, and met Aomine’s eyes.

He couldn’t help a tiny smirk. “We don’t ask for what we want, Daiki.” Kuroko’s pants and boots came off impressively fast. As he lowered himself into Daiki’s lap again, he paused to press a long, soft kiss to his neck. “We fucking _plunder_.” 


End file.
